


Centaur of Attention

by bigsoftie



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Greek Mythology, Centaur!Cronus Ampora, Centaur!Eridan Ampora, Centaur!Orphaner Dualscar, GrecianHunter!Jake English, M/M, Masturbation, Mutual Pining, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-07-05
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-21 14:58:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7391875
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bigsoftie/pseuds/bigsoftie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Eridan will forever hate his brother for leaving him alone in an unfamiliar place.</p><p>___</p><p>Jake will forever be blessed to see a beautiful creature of myth in a familiar place.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Samantha](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Samantha/gifts).



> Thank you Samantha for the suggestion!

 

The sun drags through the canopy of the forest Jake has been hunting in for the past few days. His knee length chiton flutters slightly in the light wind. Thick sandals crushing grass and small sticks which makes him wince just a tiny bit. Jake hopes that he hadn't scared off any potential prey. The foliage tickles his naked leather strapped legs as he stalks only stopping to hear to the rustle of a bush not to far from him. Jake quickly takes his stance low behind the tree. He prepares his arrow in the bow pulling tight as he sets his bright emerald eyes on the bush. Jake takes a slow deep breath to steel himself when he sees the white of its nose stick out of the bush. He mentally prays to the goddess Artemis to catch this prey as small as it was, but he was hungry so he won't complain. The physical sound of his stomach growling, however, made him flinch and the rabbit to run out of his hiding spot. Jake quickly releases the arrow in a futile attempt to at least wound the rabbit, but the arrow lands roughly into the ground where the rabbit used to be. He sighs in defeat straightens up to go and yank the arrow out of the ground putting it back in the quiver in a smooth movement.

 

"By Zeus what am I going to do?"

  
He continues to walk the forest picking a few berries and fruits to take the edge off of his hungry. Mid bite into the fruit in hand, Jake spies fresh horse tracks, which surprises him to see only one set of tracks. Maybe the horse wandered off? Maybe he could break this horse so he won't have to walk so much through this forest. He puts a hand on his chin as he nods at his sound judgement to find the horse and tame it. Jake finishes the fruit and sets on his way to follow the tracks to where his new ride will be.

Meanwhile as Jake follows the fresh horse tracks, Eridan, a centaur who was indeed separated from his stupidly annoying brother Cronus. They were spooked by a small group of warriors as they roamed the edge of the forest in Cyprus and now here he is lost in this unfamiliar forest, standing in front of a spring, that his father dragged them to. Eridan crosses his arms in agitation and something else he couldn't place at the moment. Hazel eyes darting around in an attempt to find his brother most likely out of thin air.

  
"Cronus you stupid-"

  
One of his reddish horse ears flick backwards at a noise he, at least, thought he heard. He turns his head around cautiously as he readjusts his horse stance prepared to run. After a few minutes Eridan decides to ignore the noise thinking that it was just a squirrel or even a rabbit for that matter. What he didn't know was that it was human who quickly hid himself behind one of the larger trees in fear of being caught.

Jake didn't expect to see what his mother had told him and his siblings stories about. Jake's heart pounds in his chest when he almost got caught by said centaur whose beauty he haven't seen in his mortal life so far. Its voice so smooth, like the silk that his cousins like to bring home sometimes, with an accent you never heard before. The centaur's coat gleamed almost purple in the sunlight that got through the thick trees and was certainly taller than Jake, but he knew horses would naturally be taller than himself. He steels himself to get another look at the creature that is no longer a myth. Jake clutches his bow tightly in hand as he making sure that he wasn't leaning to heavily on his quiver. He leans over to see the centaur had laid down by the spring taking a drink from it.

  
Jake can actually take a good long look at the centaur; whose hair like a rich earth with maroon interwoven into his hair that trails down his back to make the horse mane which looks so pretty in the dappled light. His skin looks so soft and supple that practically blends into his sturdy horse body with ebony climbing up his legs. Jake really wanted to touch all of this centaur's skin, mostly to make sure that he was real. Jake's gaze unconsciously shifts over to how the water drips down the centaur's surprisingly muscled arms. He barely manages to tear his eyes away from the amazing creature to try and think of what to do. Should he even consider catching him or what. Jake feels the sweat on his palms as he thinks about what to do as he hears the crunching of leaves and twigs of the centaur getting back up to leave.

  
 Suddenly you didn't want the centaur to leave so soon, but the stories told to him by his mother did not paint them in such a nice picture. He wasn't Heracles, but even the hero worked up to his great feats. Jake hesitantly decides to continue to follow the handsome centaur to hopefully engrain his image in Jake's mind for the rest of his life. Jake waits after the centaur leaves to follow behind without, praying to Zeus, being noticed.

  
Though Eridan was feeling a tad more anxious when he left the spring. He continues to walk through the forest even more aimless than before which wasn't helping him from lashing out at the first animal or person, which he hopes the latter does not appear. Eridan's right ear flicks at how irregular his footfalls are. At that he knew that he was being followed by someone because everytime he stops the other stops. When Eridan stops again, the centaur, quickly rears back and turns around to face his opponent.

  
"Show yourself!"

  
Jake held his breath hiding behind thick bushes with one knee on the ground. He has both hands at the ready with reluctance to wanting to shoot him and from what he has heard; centaurs are really tough and a couple of his arrows are not going to put him down easily. Jake clutches his bow in more fear than he would not have liked to feel when he hears the creature cautiously step towards his hiding spot. Jake deep down wanted to run, but that wasn't what his mother taught him to do, so before this wondrous creature could possibly kill him he would at least put a fight and die a man knowing that there are creatures as beautiful as this one. Jake quickly puts the arrow back in the quiver before shooting up out of the bushes which in turn startles the centaur into jumps just a little off the ground and backs up instinctively to quickly put himself into a fist fighting stance.

 

"Who are you? What have you done with my brother?"

  
Eridan's eyes gleam darkly in the limited light that shown onto his face. Jake stares at centaur and his brain really didn't want to supply answer if only to just to continue staring at him, but he manages to scrape enough of himself to answer.

  
"I am Jake, a simple hunter and I have done nothing with your brother."

  
Jake's almost feels his heart wanting to flee out of his ribcage while Eridan just watches for any sudden movements.

  
"How do I know you speak the truth?"

  
Eridan was so standoffish to where the question did not really come off as a question to the young black haired man. The centaur narrows his hazel eyes and takes the minute that the human hesitates to look him over. The bow and arrows at the human's side were not a threat to him...yet. Eridan thought bitterly to himself. The man looks about chest level to the centaur's normal height for his breed. The inky darkness on top of the human man's head glints a blue, that he only thought the depths of the oceans could create, in the spare sunlight that got passed the trees. This human's skin graciously warmed by Apollo's light that if Eridan touches him he would feel it like he feels the sun on his muscled backside and maybe a bit of roughness from what he could tell from. The eyes that stare at the centaur undeterred reminded Eridan of the sun kissed grass of his home which he misses greatly. He almost wanted to cry, more out of frustration, than anything at getting lost with his bitch of a brother.

  
"I cannot convince you, but I do speak the truth. You are the first centaur I have seen in my life and I do not want to hurt you."

  
Jake thinks that he was sincere even with the rapid beating of nervous excitement. He hopes that the half horse being could not hear heart. What he didn't know was that he closed his eyes as if waiting for divine punishment which would be accurate; if the other had not slowly step out of his fist fighting stance to be a little more comfortable after several minutes.

  
"Why were you following me?"

  
Jake could vaguely hear opens his eyes not bothering to question why his eyes were closed and almost yells.

  
"I followed because I thought you were the most beautiful person I've ever lain eyes on and I didn't know how to approach you."

  
He stares at the creature with wide eyes trying to piece together what he just said hoping to not have offended as the centaur didn't, at least outwardly, show any emotions to the statement.

  
"Hmpf, of course, you would not know how to approach such rare beauty."

  
Jake did not expect that nor expect the centaur to walk towards him, the centaur's hands where his hips should be, with such confidence in his stride. Jake would swear that the centaur is sucking all of the courage out of him with each step. He was glued to the spot with the centaur's really nice chest right in front of his grassy eyes to take in all over again.

  
"You are sincere, I'll give you that. What is your name, hunter?"

  
He quickly looks up at the centaur with fascination written all over the warm face.

  
"Jake," Eridan felt the strange urge to kiss the hunter's eyelids when he smiled with front teeth more pronounced up at him, "And yours, centaur?"

  
"Eridan."

  
Jake has never heard of such an exotic name before and given so quick that an awkward silence afterwards was starting to get to him.

  
"Well then Eridan, forgive me for following you without your consent."

  
Jake bows his head lightly not wanting to hit his forehead on Eridan's chest though he thinks maybe he should have done that to get a feel of the soft looking skin. Eridan puts a fist in front of his mouth to clear his throat as if to distract Jake from his thoughts to focus on the present.

  
"I accept your forgiveness-!"

  
Jake knew that he had poor impulse control when there are things that he liked which has resulted in him outright hugging Eridan. It startles the half horse human to take a step or two back. Jake's sun kissed cheek squished into the centaur's stomach as he absentmindedly relished in how it is smooth in the places where the battle scars have not tainted it. Eridan shoves Jake off with hands that felt rough from use of a weapon.

  
"- _only_ if you help me find my brother!"

Jake lands unceremoniously on his butt and prompts the question in total disregard of the second part of the other's statement.

  
"Are you a warrior, Eridan?"

  
This human sure was a weirder than some of the nymphs back at Eridan's home, but seeing as this was Jake's first time seeing a centaur, so it was to be expected though in the back of his mind it was...adorable.

  
"Yes, I am. What self respectin' centaur can't protect themselves."

  
Eridan crosses his arms in pride of his race, but realizes that they don't have a lot of daylight left.

  
"Then when we find your brother will you show what you are made of?"

  
Now he wants to laugh at Jake for having such a ludicrous thought. Eridan knows for a fact that his father would kill this man where he stands because he knew that his brother would have gone back to the ship to form a search party and have his ear bleeding from the talking to.

  
"Hah, we shall see. Now get up, I haven't forgiven you yet."

  
He bends his fore legs down to reach for Jake to help him get off the ground. When both are standing upright, Eridan turns around and begins walking to maybe hear any of his family or comrades searching for him. The dark haired human somehow falls in line with the centaur's stride. It was a comfortable while Jake lead the way out of the forest while the two leeched their differing smells from each other by bumping skin to skin. He impressed Eridan with his marksmanship with some hearty looking birds along the way while Eridan idly converse about his family, the battles he was allowed to take part in and the few friends that he has. Jake could never have thought that a centaur blushing would be the prettiest thing he'd ever see even when the both of them have a screaming match about going left or right like Eridan had the slightest clue about the forest now.

  
The sun setting made it harder to see each other as they progressed through the forest to the open beach, but they didn't mind to much since Jake had finally gotten the chance to touch one side of the lush feeling horse half of Eridan, who twitches unconsciously under his touch, with each passing minute. They stop at the edge of the ocean as most of the sun is gone behind the mountains; Reluctantly Jake stops touching the soft horse hair to walk in front of Eridan face to chest.

  
"I know of a cave up ahead," Jake glances up to Eridan with concern about the centaur might try and continue searching on his own,"We can rest for a fresh start. Don't want you looking tired before you return."

  
Jake rubs the back of his neck unsure of what else to do or even say to his new friend. Eridan stood there hesitating on the offer. He was kind of into Jake wanting to practice with some family who prefer archery. Maybe they will teach a few things if they think he is worthy of it, but that is neither here nor there. Eridan grabs the wrist of the arm from behind Jake's head.

  
"Stop, you look like a pup doing that," Jake suppresses a blush from creeping up his ears,"But you are right. Let us rest for the night. Lead the way Jake."

He will never get tired of hearing his name on Eridan's lips wanting to hear as much as possible before the centaur had to leave forever out of his life. Jake does not remove the hand from his wrist, but he moves with Eridan shifting around to follow him towards the cave nearby.

  
"Yeah...this way."

  
Eridan didn't miss the dejected tone in his voice. He didn't know what Jake made so depressed all of sudden and he wanted him to stop being that immediately for some unforeseen reason.

 

They get comfortable inside the cave hanging near the opening of it. They decide to take turns guarding each other through the night even when Eridan argues about whether or not it was safe to lie down which Jake counters by saying that he was here to protect him as he jiggles his quiver with arrows to spare. Eridan concedes, mostly to keep his skin from getting darker under the man's smile, knowing there was not much of point of butting heads right now.

 

"Fine. Only because you have helped me greatly today."

  
Eridan steadies himself on the craggy wall as his horse half's legs eases down and curls inwards to tuck itself under the owner in the soft if scratchy sand of the floor. Jake absentmindedly thinks of a demure cat trying hard to get comfortable when it doesn't want to.

  
"What are you lookin' at?"

  
Jake didn't each catch himself for staring at the other who huffs, just like a cat Jake thinks again, waiting for an answer.

  
"You remind me of a cat." Eridan narrows his eyes til his eyebrows almost made a straight line on his forehead with his full lips drawn into a line before saying.

  
"Ha. Ha. You have Dirk's sense of humor, you know that. Wake me up when you get tired."

  
Jake laughs heartily nodding his head at the same time. He chalks it up to be a proud race of centaurs, but he does remember the brief mention of this Dirk through Eridan's one telling of a battle; he would like to see him fight as well. Jake returns to watching over the entrance by sitting in the middle of the opening with his bow and arrow at his lap. The human half of Eridan leans into the wall to lay his head on the smoothest part of a rock he could find to fall asleep while the other keeps watch. What Eridan did not know was that Jake was dividing his attention. He was listening for the even breathing of a centaur who should be asleep which didn't take as long as he thought it would be. Jake looks over his should to see a little bit of the moonlight being caught on Eridan's face softening up his features to make Jake want to...kiss him. That thought made him immediately face front again. Oh man Jake didn't know how to process that new piece of information, but his body knew how to process it.

  
"No, I can't think of him like that..." His mind wanders about touching Eridan a little more intimately. The gentle breeze soothes his feverish skin as he envisions caressing Eridan's soft skin and hide and feeling every nervous jolt. Jake even wonders if he neighs at all which makes him laugh since he would try and hide it from Jake, but he would reassure him that it didn't bother him all. Jake could not begin to imagine how Eridan would go about kissing; knowing what he knows right now is that it would be a heated fight. That thought got his loins jumping for more than his own hands. Sadly that was all he had except for wild imagination while diligent fingers pretend to be Eridan's. Jake dared not to look at the sleeping form or he might get in trouble for thinking, and doing, such things. He kept his moans to a bare minimum letting the wind catch his clenched sigh of relief when he finally released the tension. Jake looks at his hand in mild disbelief as he quickly leaves the cave to wash his hands in the ocean. Though he hopes that Poseidon doesn't frown upon him for using his waters for such a thing. He comes back to keep watch glancing every now and again at a sleeping Eridan.

  
Jake now hopes that they find his family tomorrow or he might actually fall in love with Eridan.


	2. Chapter 2

The sun rises across the sky by the shear force of Apollo's horses. Eridan winces when the sun is high enough to roll over his features. He blinks his blurry state of mind into vision rolling his neck to ease of the cricks that he gathered from the previous. That thought jars Eridan to look for the human that should have woken him up to take watch. He couldn't believe that Jake didn't wake him which flares a little anger out of him, but eases off when he see the human still sitting up in the middle of the entrance. Eridan slowly gets up clutching the wall in case he would fall for some unknown reason. He moves forward and around to his side to scold Jake for not taking his advice, while his horse body shakes, instead he sees that the human had actually fallen asleep loosely clutching his bow and arrow in ready for any intruders. Jake looked so peaceful that Eridan almost didn't want to wake him...almost. A nonchalant grin later has Eridan using his front left hoof to topple Jake over.

  
Jake wakes up in a start when he feels something hard at his side and the fact that he is falling over. His eyes shot open, but not fast enough to catch himself from falling into the soft sand with an 'oomph'. Jake hears muffled laughter in the ear that was not buried in the sand.

  
"I told you to wake me up, Jake."

  
Jake could hear the vague seriousness behind the incessant giggling of the centaur above him. He pushes himself off the sand back into a sitting position wiping off as much sand as he could. Jake was annoyed, yet he couldn't blame Eridan. He left himself wide open for that kind of attack. He couldn't believe that he fell asleep halfway through the night which he was grateful that no fowl beast decided to wander over to them.

  
"Sorry...," Jake turns his head to look and grin at the beautiful person as his cheeks flare under the morning sun, "But I did say that I would protect you though."

  
Hazel eyes stare with an intention to say something about Jake needing his protection, but decides against it since the gesture was sweet in the human's weird way. Eridan sighs in slight annoyance of himself because he thought, out of the blue again, about kissing his eyelids once more as his eyes look away when Jake finally opens his own eyes again.

  
"It does not matter now. Get up, you have a promise to keep." Eridan offers him a hand, which he grabs whole heartedly after putting away his arrow.

  
Off the duo went as they decided to follow along the beach since Eridan had said that they had taken a ship here. Jake follows close, but does not touch Eridan like they did back in the forest yesterday. He really didn't want his lower body to hurt his chances of at least staying as Eridan's friend. After calming himself down a bit, Jake thinks about the previous conversations that they had to maybe get a better idea of where his father's ship could be. The ship couldn't be at the port on the other side of the island which made Jake realize that he never asked him about why he was on this island in particular. The question come out of the blue when they round the corner of a group of trees.

  
Eridan regards him thoughtfully, ears flicking at the sound of birds squawking by, before saying that they were mostly here on a whim from their homeland in forests of Magnesia, for a change of scenery, as Eridan's father had said to him. Eridan did not want to come here since he was perfectly fine back at home with his friends, few that actually wanted to talk to him, so it felt tedious to him. Now though, he might have a change of heart about this place. It was actually quite a nice place now that wasn't resisting it and...maybe it also has to do with Jake. Even if Jake didn't mean to come off as creepy, but he guesses that's the price to pay for being such a rarity amongst humans. In all honesty...it really is nice to see Jake be honest with him at least compared to previous experiences. His ears flick down momentarily at the memories.

  
Eridan gazes down at the human, who chatters about where your ship could be, to only seeing the top of his messy still has sand in it hair. Eridan does not think to hard about all of his actions aside from it being a generally nice thing to do. No one wants sand in weird places, especially as a half horse human, it is uncomfortable to say the least. Eridan reaches down and begins swiping as much of the sand off the back of Jake's head while they were walking. This startles Jake to stop and lean away from Eridan which agitates the centaur into squinting his eyes and flicking his ears rapidly.

  
"Come back here," Those three words shone through the underlying truth of the original nature of the centaurs' coming out of Eridan; stern, unyielding and wild in approach, "You did not get all the...sand out of your...hair earlier..."

  
It did not last long as Eridan trails off as he really thinks about what he was doing. Something like this hasn't come out of him in years, what being taught to be more civilized than the other tribes at him. Though he couldn't believe that it would flare up on something as trivial as this. What was wrong with him today? His eyes wide now staring at a now confused Jake. He didn't even think about how his touch might have been unwarranted _and_ unwanted by the human man. He didn't even warn him before doing it; He could not believe that he thought he had gotten this comfortable. Eridan holds the wrist of the hand that did it as if Jake was a fire and he was fool enough to touch it. He didn't even know that he back up a little as Jake grabs the wrist of the hand holding other the other in worry. Eridan looks between his wrist and Jake. His heart did not know to beat out of chest in embarrassment or the odd tingly feeling that Jake is leaving on his skin. Compared to the other times that Jake has touched, mostly on his sides, he didn't think much of it, but now this is weirding Eridan out just a little.

  
"Sorry I-"

  
"Wh-?"

  
"-didn't know what came over me. I should have left well enough alone." Eridan couldn't decide on looking at Jake or everywhere else while jostling himself in place with Jake still holding onto his wrist. When he decides to finally look Jake in the eyes; he finds that Jake was trying to fashion a sentence scrunching his eyes at strange intervals. This almost made Eridan want to laugh, but instead was greeted by surprise when Jake grabs his forearm with his other hand managing to use the surprise to separate them.

  
"What in Hades' name-!"

  
Jake maneuvers both of Eridan's hands right into his soft dark hair to get the last of the remaining sand out. He shakes his vigorously as Eridan could not find the strength to pull his arms away from the fluffy mass. Eridan felt his face getting warmer by the second and he guarantees that the sun's not helping. Jake took the chance to think of how nice it felt to have Eridan's hands in his hair, but he knew that this couldn't last forever. The human releases said hands which fall loosely at his sides.

  
"There. I appreciate the gesture." Jake grins at Eridan before turning around and walking forward; not wanting to hear the back talk of the centaur who stood stock still. Jake starts to laugh after seeing the flabbergasted Eridan. That jarred Eridan out of his stupor to trot towards Jake who in turn runs in a vain attempt to keep some sort of distance between them. It ultimately ends with both of them laughing. Through their fit of giggles Jake sprawls out on the beach with Eridan climbing down to lay somewhat curled around Jake's head. If Jake hadn't known any better he'd think that Eridan was doing it on purpose to protect him from the immediate sun. Their giggles die down as Jake closes his eyes when a gentle breeze passes by the two. It was a comfortable silence as Jake unwittingly eases into the realm of dreams which were nice enough to not give him those kinds of dreams.

  
What Jake didn't know was that Eridan had smelled his brother, Cronus covered in an alarming amount of a rose and cinnamon fragrance, on the wind. He was beyond happy to finally be able to find his good for nothing brother, but at the same time... Eridan glances down at the sleeping face of his savior. He should wake Jake up... Though if he does then he has to deal with his brother about the matter and he doesn't want to hear it from Cronus. Maybe if he leaves now that by the time Jake wakes up he wouldn't have to deal with those kinds of problems. The only thing that would be bad about that is leaving someone this handsome behind. Eridan nods, in a matter of fact way, thinking that sacrifices must be made. He doesn't want his dad to claim another human like the last place that they went to. His ears flick in annoyance of the memory.

  
Eridan sighs in reluctance when he takes one last look at the human. He really did not want to leave him here, but better here than there. Eridan looks a little more closely and becomes slightly miffed that there will be sand in his hair again. He pouts then smiles as he thinks offhandedly to smack Jake in the face with his silky black tail. Eridan resists the urge, as well as the impeding giggles, to do so however strong it may be, and as quietly as possible get up off the sand and left with utmost haste before whispering a thank you for Jake's help. He walks far enough away to begin trotting towards his brother. He actively chooses to not dwell on leaving Jake alone on the beach...in the hot sun...he'll wake up before anything bad happens. Eridan was sure of it.

  
Even thinking this, Eridan felt tinges of regret crawling up his skin as the wind picks up carrying the scent of his brother. He'll get over it...right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am continuing this on the grounds of later describing Dualscar as a centaur.

**Author's Note:**

> My original idea slipped when I started writing, but if I continue it'll be a slow burn of like two more chapters. We shall see.  
> Any suggestions let me know.


End file.
